Ninety-five per cent of female and over 80 per cent of male secondary school students in UAE have applied to continue their higher education at universities.

Sheikh Nahyan Mubarak Al Nahyan, the minister of higher education and scientific research, told officials from the UAE University, Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) and Zayed University that "it is a world record this year – 95 percent of females and over 80 percent of males have opted for higher education."

According to Sheikh Nahyan, the figure is between 35 percent and 45 percent in Europe and between 50 percent and 60 percent in the US.

The minister was quoted by the Gulf News as adding that “it is an honor that the great achievement in the educational field.”

He said that the number of applications from secondary students this year proved that UAE teenagers were dedicated to professional study.

There are nine state and international universities in the UAE and 11 intermediate colleges.

Around 20,000 male and female students sit for the general school certificate every year – Albawaba.com